Gorgeous
by paintedmegolden
Summary: Non-Senshi AU. You should take it as a compliment that I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk.


She was sure she would never attend one of Haruka's parties ever again. While she hadn't expected anything less from her older, well-traveled friend, Usagi was quickly becoming overwhelmed. It was impossible to escape the throngs of writhing bodies that crushed into the walls of the spacious condo. She had long since lost her friends that she came with in the crowd and she was sure she wouldn't see them again until they found her to let her know to go home without them.

"Kitten!" Haruka called over the din. "I've been looking for you everywhere! I've been meaning to give you this." She pushed a cup into Usagi's hand. Usagi shook her head.

"No Haruka I'm okay really. But thank you." Haruka let out an exasperated sigh and threw her arm over the smaller girl's shoulders.

"Yeah yeah I get it. But Demande isn't here, so you can have fun, right?" Usagi flushed. So maybe her kind of boyfriend wasn't here because he said he had some invite to a club that was better than Haruka's party. But she knew it was really because he was easily intimidated by anyone with even a little status, and Haruka was a famous racer after all. "So I'm going to make you have fun tonight, introduce you to everyone," she continued. "But first you're going to have to drink that. Also probably drink another. No offense, but you seem tense." Usagi gulped the drink in her cup, wincing only a little from the burn.

Haruka smiled to herself as she fixed another drink. This whole party may or may not have been an elaborate plan she and Michiru put together to get Usagi away from that asshole who never let her get a moment's peace. Now, she just had to wait for her better half to come through with her part. She glanced over to the kitchen and saw Michiru beckon her over. There it was.

"Alright, come on, we got people to meet," Haruka said as she dragged Usagi alongside her. She noted that the smaller girl wobbled a bit, and briefly wondered if she had given her a little too much. They weaved through the crowd before finding the teal-haired girl and her friend chatting in a small group.

The first thing that Usagi noticed was just how gorgeous he was. His black hair was effortlessly messy, just shy of falling into his ocean eyes. She felt confident that she would drown in them if she stared for too long. They he looked at her as he sipped his whiskey on ice made her feel as if she was on fire from within, which she attempted to dowse with another long sip from her drink. Michiru introduces him as Mamoru Chiba, currently completing his medical residency at Keio University Hospital. Still, Usagi was at a loss for words, an uncommon phenomenon for her. There was just nothing that she could say to him. She talked to everyone else that was in the kitchen with them, but was careful not to say anything to him. She could feel his eyes on her every so often, as if they left a trace on her skin. When she was sure he wasn't looking, she would glance over at him, still leaning against a counter and talking to a blonde man about his age, and for a moment she hated how cool and put together he was. Still, there was something about they way he talked that seemed off to her.

"That's it!" she blurted, mostly unaware that she was speaking out loud. "Do you realize that you speak in haiku? Like, not all the time but enough that you can notice it if you're paying attention?" His eyes slid to her, a sly smile on his lips.

"And that's enough of that, Kitten," Haruka said as she swooped in and plucked the mostly empty cup from Usagi's hand. She turned to Mamoru. "Sorry, she sometimes forgets that it's not nice to insult people."

"I wasn't insulting him!" Usagi shrieked as she tried to grab the cup back from her friend. "He should take it as a compliment." Mamoru smiled down at her, and she was struck with sudden anger. She had only just met this guy, and she was flustered. She was furious. He had no right to make her feel like this, as if somehow the world hinged on them being together. It wasn't fair that any one person could be so perfect.

"Sure, I'll take the compliment, bun-head." He took a short sip of his drink but kept his eyes on her to gauge her reaction. Usagi balled her hands into fists.

"I have a name you know," she grumbled. She got enough teasing from her friends, so she certainly didn't need any from this stranger, no matter how gorgeous he was.

"Oh, I'm sure, but you haven't introduced yourself or said anything beyond commenting on how I talk."

"Well you could have asked!" Michiru and Haruka backed away from the bickering pair, as did everyone else.

"Listen, I love you, but when I said you should pick out something for our kitten there, did you have to pick the biggest asshole you know?" Michiru dropped her head to Haruka's shoulder.

"Mamoru-kun is not an asshole." Haruka rolled her eyes. "Okay, he's not that much of an asshole. I just thought they would balance each other out nicely." The pair continued to argue, their volume escalating, and Haruka knew this would end terribly if she didn't do something. The expensive sound system continued to pump music throughout the space, and an idea came to her.

"Listen, I say that the two of you can apologize to each other with a dance. You've been standing in this same spot arguing and I'll feel like a bad host if neither of you have fun." Michiru nodded in agreement. At the sound of Haruka's voice, Mamoru and Usagi jumped apart. Maybe it was the nature of the argument or how loud the party was, but they had somehow ended up a breath apart, and his face was bent towards hers. To anyone who hadn't heard them, they would have looked the picture of intimacy. She looked up at him. At this distance, he was even more striking. She wanted to trace his cheeks gently with the pads of her fingertips, but longed to tangle her hands in the thick hair at the nape of his neck. The way he studied her put her on edge and made her skin smolder. Finally, he shrugged and took her by the hand to lead her into the dancing crowd.

In the crowd, it was impossible not to press against him as they danced. He was a good dancer, so Usagi didn't find it at all unpleasant. He kept a firm grip on her waist, his fingers barely brushing at the exposed skin of her back. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was teasing her. He should know better than to help her imagine what his hands would feel like gripping and touching her in a dark room. She looked back towards the kitchen. A girl she hadn't noticed before kept her arms crossed and glared at her. His girlfriend, she thought. Of course he would have a girlfriend.

"Are you sure your girlfriend won't be mad at you for dancing like this?" Mamoru cocked his head. She tossed her head towards the kitchen. If she had paid more attention, she wouldn't have missed Haruka and Michiru cackling and giving each other high fives.

"What are you talking about?" Usagi rolled her eyes. Now wasn't the time for him to play dumb with her. "No I mean I really can't hear you over this," he added, cupping his hand around his ear. Emboldened by the music or the alcohol, she twined her hands into his hair to pull him closer. God, it was just as soft as she thought it would be.

"I'm just surprised your girlfriend over there hasn't cut in," she said, accidentally brushing her lips against the shell of his ear. His movements suddenly became less fluid, and she took pleasure from feeling the stutter. It was almost like she had the same effect he had on her. He followed his gaze, and for the first time that night noticed Mari. Instead of her usual smile, she glowered. Strange. Usagi braced herself for him to pull away. She had been such an idiot, pointing that girl out. But not having him didn't hurt as much if she knew he had a girlfriend. She realized with a start that she could feel him shaking his head. She hadn't removed her hands, just slid them down his neck. He smiled before bending until he rested his face in the crook of her shoulder.

"Not my girlfriend," he whispered against her neck. She shuddered and bit back a groan. This was worse. It wasn't fair that he was single. Another partygoer knocked into her back, pushing her somehow further into him, and now all she could feel was the hard length of his body and his arms around her. Staring up at him, his blue eyes dark and his cheeks tinged pink from the whiskey, she knew she had to leave before she did anything dangerous.

"I should probably go. My cats will wonder what happened to me," she said lamely. As she tried to pull away, he pulled her back, burying his hands in her hair and tilting her head up until she had no choice but to look at him. He leaned in until they were nose to nose.

"Alone?" he whispered, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. She gulped and nodded before meeting his steady gaze again.

"Unless you want to come along." She hoped she sounded braver than she felt. At that moment, he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers, the pressure close to bruising.

"Let's go."


End file.
